On Friday, Viacom18 announced the launch of Sports18, the network’s dedicated sports broadcasting channel. The channel is expected to offer Indian viewers with global sports content including the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022, NBA, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Abu Dhabi T10, and top ATP & BWF events.
Apart from the major sports properties in football, basketball, tennis, cricket and badminton, the channel will provide access to programmes covering international sports news, magazine and highlights shows.
“We are pleased to launch a dedicated sports channel for an audience across demographics and geographies,” said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj said in a press release.
“Sports18 will strive to be India’s most-coveted broadcast network by providing fans easy access to a comprehensive bouquet of international and premier sports content.”
On March 29, the BCCI had announced the release of Invitation to Tender for Media Rights for the Indian Premier League 2023-27 broadcast cycle.
With Sports18’s entry into the sports broadcast market, the race to acquire the rights between big players such as Disney, Amazon, Star Sports, Sony, Zee is expected to become even tighter.